Alternative polyadenylation controls pathogenicity-associated mechanisms in the rice blast fungus

We provide genome-wide maps of poly(A) site usage under different nutrient conditions and Rbp35 genotypes. We show that Rbp35 control of 3' UTR length is a metabolically-influenced process; for example, alteration in 3'UTR length for one of two 14-3-3 genes in different nutrient conditions suggests that Rbp35 regulates differential protein expression through posttranscriptional mechanisms. Our findings also reveal that Rbp35 is required for the control of several proteins active under metabolic stress conditions. This area of research offers new avenues for fungicide design by targeting fungal-specific proteins that globally affect thousands of mRNAs and proteins required for stress response and pathogenicity.